


Birds of A Feather

by nocturnal_wanderlust (bdw22520)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Ice Skating, Angst, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, De-Aged Character(s), Fluff, Multi, Romance, Youtuber Victor Nikiforov
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-08-23 06:57:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8318275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bdw22520/pseuds/nocturnal_wanderlust
Summary: Katsuki Yuuri is a 20-year-old dance student at an arts college. He dreams of one day gracing the world stage with his unique dance style. However, he usually holds himself up in his room watching Youtube videos of his favorite dancer, Viktor Nikiforov. When Yuuri gets the opportunity of a lifetime he's not sure how to respond. Follow Yuuri on his journey towards becoming a more confident dancer and winning Viktor's heart.





	1. He answered my question!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this!!!!

Yuuri lugged his gym bag into his dorm room after a long day of rehearsals. He'd been awake since five that morning. Minako practiced him and the other dancers chosen for the annual showcase to the bone. He thought she would make them plié and arabesque until their legs fell off.

Yuuri was about to walk into the ensuite bathroom when the door to the dorm burst open. His roommate, Phichit Chulanont, walked in with a wide smile.

“Hey, Yuuri!” He exclaimed. Yuuri smiled at his energetic friend. “How did rehearsals go?” he asked as he plopped down onto his unmade bed.

“They went well. Minako said a special guest would be coming in tomorrow.” Yuuri said. When Minako told the class a special guest was coming the class had erupted into chatter and speculation. Every time they asked Minako for a hint she brushed them off and told them to be patient.

“Oh, a special guest. What if it's someone famous?” Phichit offered. 

“I don't think it's someone famous. It's probably one of Minako’s colleagues coming in to watch us practice. It's not like we're important dancers, we're just the ensemble. No one important would come see us.” Yuuri rambled. The likelihood of someone famous showing up at their practice was slim to none. Yuuri knew that most of the other dancers had gotten their hopes up thinking someone important was going to attend their practice. He knew they would be disappointed and let down when they saw that it wasn’t someone of notable fame. 

“I guess you’re right.” Phichit said. “You’re so lucky. I wish I’d been picked to be a part of the dance. You guys are going to get the chance to dance in front of all sorts of important people. Who knows maybe someone will see you and want you to audition for a spot in their dance company.” Phichit always let his imagination overrun his mind. 

“I highly doubt I’ll make a big enough impact to be picked out from the crowd.” Yuuri said as he walked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up. He really wished he could dive into his family’s onsen. A shower wouldn’t relieve the ache in his muscles or the tension in his shoulders. 

From the shower, Yuuri could hear Phichit singing along to some pop song that had gotten stuck in his head. While washing his hair, Yuuri visualized a part of the dance that was giving him problems. He had to hold a leg extension and slowly bring into an Attitude. From there he was supposed to transition into a pirouette, but he could never transition smoothly. His dance teachers always told him he had a unique way of dancing. However, someone must have liked it enough for him to make into the dance department of the arts college he attended. 

“Don’t use all of the hot water...again.” Phichit yelled from the room while banging on the bathroom door. Yuuri sighed and hurried up his shower. When he turned off the water he could hear Phichit mutter something. 

Yuuri slipped into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before in looked in the mirror and dried his hair. Yuuri’s black hair fell flat against his head and framed his round face. He’d always been told that he had squeezable cheeks. Yuuri always took that as being synonymous with chubby cheeks. Even though he was 20 years old, Yuuri could pass for a teenager any day of the week.

After drying his hair, Yuuri walked back into the dorm room and quickly moved to the side as Phichit ran passed him into the bathroom. Yuuri sat down on his bed and opened up his laptop. He hoped his favorite Youtuber uploaded a new video. Opening his browser, Yuuri quickly went to Youtube and looked through his subscription list. Yuuri could feel a wide smile gracing his lips as he clicked on the new video.

A beautiful man with silver hair and piercing blue eyes stared at Yuuri through his laptop screen. Yuuri looked at the video title which was,  _Didn’t have time to make a new dance Q &A. _ Yuuri plugged his headphones into his laptop and watched the video gleefully.

“Privet to my beautiful friends watching. I am Viktor Nikiforov,” The man said. Yuuri his entire intro and outro by heart. “I hope you all are having a lovely day. So, I know I usually upload a dance video on Wednesdays, but I’ve been really busy lately. That is why we are doing a Q&A.” He cheered. 

Yuuri hoped his question was one of the questions picked. He sat and watched as Viktor answered silly questions from his viewers. The more the video went on the less likely it seemed to Yuuri that his question got picked. He’d already resigned himself to the fact that he would never be noticed by Viktor that he almost missed the final question being asked. 

“My final question is from @yuuri_k2911. I know someone named Yuri. He’s a little shit, but I guess that’s what puberty does to you, but I digress. Their question is “how do I become more confident in the way that I dance?”” Viktor tapped a single finger to his lip in thought. Yuuri screeched loudly at his question being answered. He waited with bated breath for Viktor’s answer. “Well, my answer would be fake it ‘til you make it. Make yourself believe that your dance is the best because if you believe you are the best no one’s petty words can bring you down. Also don’t be too critical of yourself. We are our own worst critics. I hope that helped you @yuuri_k2911.” 

“Oh, my god. Oh, my god! Viktor Nikiforov answered my question.” Yuuri shouted to himself. Phichit walked out of the bathroom in alarm. 

“What’s wrong Yuuri? Why are you so red?” Phichit asked in concern. Yuuri turned to Phichit and put his hands on his friend's shoulder. 

“Viktor Nikiforov answer my question.” Yuuri said as his shook Phichit. Phichit dark brown eyes widened.

“No way!” he said in disbelief. Yuuri nodded his head in confirmation. “You lucky bastard!” 

“I can’t believe he answered my question. This is the highlight of my life.” Yuuri said dreamily. Yuuri had been a fan of Viktor ever since the man started his Youtube channel. Yuuri stumbled upon his channel one day when he was in middle school. He was looking for a tutorial on how to do a dance move and he stumbled upon Viktor’s channel. Yuuri was captivated by how elegantly Viktor moved when he danced. 

Viktor’s dance moves were like a siren’s song and they were leading Yuuri to the rocks. From that moment on Yuuri looked up to Viktor. When he found out that Viktor had a poodle, Yuuri asked his parents to get him one just like Viktor’s. He even went as far as naming the poodle after Viktor. He also followed in Viktor’s footsteps by attending Grand Prix International College of the Arts. To say that Yuuri was a fan was an understatement. 

“Was the answer he gave helpful?” Phichit asked.

“Yes, it was,” Yuuri answered. He wondered if the advice that Viktor had given him was from experience. “I hope I can meet him someday and tell him what an inspiration he is.”

Phichit briefly looked at the wall by Yuuri’s bed and on his desk.

“You may not want to bring him back to the Viktor Nikiforov shrine that you call your side of the room.” Phichit said. Yuuri blushed deeply at the thought of Viktor seeing all the pictures and posters Yuuri had of him. 

“Says the boy that obsessively looks after Seung-Gil.” Yuuri said to his friend. Phichit blushed. 

“I...I don’t obsessively look after him. I just admire him as a dancer,” Phichit stuttered. Yuuri rolled his eyes at his friend. “You’re being a bit of a hypocrite.” Yuuri blushed deeply at his friend’s accusation. 

“I...I am not obsessed. H...he is just someone I strive to be like. He is the pinnacle of what a dancer should be.” Yuuri stammered. Phichit always found amusement in the way Yuuri talked about Viktor. He made the man seem like some kind of angel that had fallen from the heavens and graced the earth with their presence. Phichit knew for a fact that Yuuri’s soul would more than likely leave his body if he got the chance to meet Viktor. 

Phichit walked over to his bed and sat down on it. He watched as Yuuri situated himself on his bed and stared at his laptop. He knew Yuuri was probably watching Viktor’s latest video again. Having been somewhat acknowledged by the man he idolized was probably the highlight of Yuuri’s life. So Phichit couldn’t blame his friend being so excited.

After watching Viktor answer his question for the seventh time, Yuuri put his laptop away and grabbed gym back that he’d dropped by his bed earlier. Rummaging through it, Yuuri couldn’t find his cell phone. Yuuri looked around the dorm and in the bathroom, but he couldn’t find it.

“What are you looking for?” Phichit asked. 

“I can’t find my phone,” Yuuri said as he stood up from looking under his bed. “I must have left it in the studio.” Yuuri sighed as he grabbed the key to his room and his wallet. He might as well grab something to eat while he was out. Yuuri briskly walked to the building where the dance studios were housed. He went to Minako’s usual room and knocked on the door. When no one answered he turned the knob to the room and cringed as it creaked loudly. Yuuri stepped into the room and looked around for his phone. 

A powder blue case caught his eye as he walked by the stereo. Yuuri bent down and picked up his phone. He looked through his notifications and saw a few messages from his sister, Mari and multiple messages from the group chat he was in with some of his friends. 

Yuuri was about to leave the room when the door opened and reveal Minako. 

“What are you still doing here?” she asked him. 

“I forgot my phone.” Yuuri answered as he showed her his phone. Yuuri pocketed his phone and headed towards the, but before he could get out of the door Minako stopped him. 

“Tomorrow the director of the dance department is going to attend the session. He’s going to be cutting a few students, so come prepared.” Minako said before she let Yuuri leave. Did she think telling him this would help him? If anything her heads up terrified him.

The director of the dance school was a strict and imposing man. He expected perfection and nothing less. Yuuri knew he would not accept the smallest of technical errors. 

“Guess I’m practicing tonight.” Yuuri muttered to himself on the way back to his dorm room. Once he got to his room, Yuuri grabbed his gym bag and walked to the first floor. Luckily for him a practice studio was open. Yuuri closed the door behind him and walked over the stereo system. Plugging his phone in he pulled up the song they were dancing too.

After stretching in silence, Yuuri got into the starting position for the dance. With the remote he kept in his pocket, Yuuri turned the song on and practiced into the night.


	2. Dance for your spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The director shows up at rehearsal. Yuuri's fate is decided. This chapter also introduces a character that I have grown to love as I wrote him and I can't wait for him to appear in the show. It's Jean-Jacques!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not think sooo many people would read this story!!! Thank you all for reading this story and enjoying it!!!!

Yuuri dragged himself back to his dorm room in the wee hours of the morning. All of the practice he did, did little to ease his mind. The director was known for being hypercritical of the dancers. Yuuri did not want to be cut from the dance. All of his hard work was finally paying off and his dreams were within sight. He would be crushed if the rug was pulled from under him.

Yuuri took a quick shower before slipping into his bed. He made sure his alarm was and rolled over. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. 

Yuuri heard his name being called. He looked around and saw that he was standing in a large auditorium. There was one shadowed person watching his routine from the front row. 

“You may begin.” The shadowy figure said. Music began to play and Yuuri sprang into action. The lights on the stage beamed down on him. He could feel a bead of sweat he roll down his face. The longer he danced the faster the music got and the harder it became to breathe. 

At some point, the music stopped. Yuuri walked to the front of the stage and was blinded by the light. 

“Why did you stop dancing?” The figure asked. Yuuri couldn't make out the face of the person. “Continue dancing.” The figure snapped. Yuuri’s body moved on its own and he began to dance. As he did a pirouette Yuuri stumbled over his feet and fell off the stage. He could laughter as he fell into a dark pit. 

Yuuri jolted awake. He looked at his phone and clambered out of bed. If he didn't hurry he would be late for his first class. Yuuri rushed through his morning routine and ran out of the room with his backpack thrown over his shoulder and his glasses clutched in his hands. 

Yuuri stopped in front of the classroom door and tried to catch his breath. He slipped his glasses onto his face before sneaking into his art history class. He tiptoed into an empty seat and pulled out his notebook.

Yuuri could barely concentrate on what his teacher was lecturing about. Yuuri was in the middle of spacing out when a hand waved in front of his face. Yuuri snapped out of his daydream and turned to the side. Jean-Jacques or JJ as everyone called him was sitting next him holding a cup of coffee.

“What do you want?” Yuuri asked him. JJ smiled his signature crooked smile and handed Yuuri the coffee.

“Phichit messaged me and said you woke up late. He told me your usual order.” He said. Yuuri took a sip of his caramel mocha. 

“So that’s why you’re late?” Yuuri asked as he sipped the drink.  
“I’m always late to this class.” JJ laughs before sitting back in his seat and pulling out his notebook. Jean-Jacques Leroy was somewhat famous around campus. Both of his parents graduated from the school and went on to have huge careers in the dance world. He was also known for studying fashion design while also studying dance. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Yuuri said sarcastically. Yuuri looked over and saw that JJ wasn't even bothering to take notes. He was sketching a design in his notebook. Did he even know what the teacher was talking about? “Are you even passing this class?” 

JJ looked up from his sketches and raised an eyebrow at Yuuri. 

“I have a B.” JJ said with a smirk. Yuuri just rolled his eyes and went back to taking notes. When the teacher let them out of class Yuuri and JJ walked to the cafeteria to meet up with the rest of their friends. They always met up for breakfast after their first-morning class. 

When JJ and Yuuri walked into the cafeteria, Phichit and Seung-Gil were already sitting at their usual table. Yuuri put his bag down at the table before standing in the line for food. Back at the table, JJ was talking to some girl while showing her what looked like swatches of fabric. Yuuri put his tray down on the table and sat down next to Phichit. 

“Did you watch Viktor’s new video?” Phichit asked. Yuuri knew where he was about to take the conversation. 

“Oh you mean his Q & A?” asked Seung-Gil while taking a bite out of toast. Phichit nodded his head. “No, I didn’t watch it. I only watch his dance videos.” Seung-Gil usually didn’t care too much about things that weren’t related to dance. When he wasn’t in a dance studio, he could be found spacing out somewhere. 

“Well, Viktor answered a question that Yuuri submitted,” Phichit said. Yuuri groaned. “When Yuuri found out he screamed.” Yuuri could feel his face begin to heat up. Yuuri couldn't for the life of him remember why was still friends with all of these guys. 

“You're kidding.” JJ said in disbelief. “I'm surprised Yuuri didn't die.” He joked. Yuuri rolled his eyes at his friends’ antics. 

“If you guys don't stop laughing at my appreciation of Viktor I won't tell you what Minako said to me.” Yuuri said to his friends. They all quickly shut up and looked at Yuuri expectantly.

“What did she say?” Phichit asked. 

“She said the director will be at rehearsal today. And you know what that means?” Yuuri said.

“He's going to do cuts,” JJ gasped. “I can't lose my spot!” JJ was also their resident drama queen. 

“Is he the special guest you guys are supposed to be having?” Phichit asked. He and Seung-Gil were participating in a different so they didn't have the same instructor as he and JJ did. 

“So that means it's only a matter of time until the director comes to our rehearsal,” Seung-Gil said seriously. “I need to polish the parts of the dance we’ve learned so far.” Seung-Gil quickly stood up from the table and walked out of the cafeteria.

“That boy has a one track mind.” Phichit sighed. Yuuri watched as JJ rolled his eyes. 

“So do you think the director is going to be extra critical when he comes into our rehearsal today?” JJ asked Yuuri with a look of expectancy. 

“I hope not, but he'll probably cut a lot of dancers. I mean we are practicing for the winter gala. And that means important donors and alumni are going to be there.” Yuuri explained. 

“Which means he's going to want the best of the best.” Phichit concluded. The three friends stayed in the cafeteria to talk until they had to go to class. Yuuri spent the entire walk to his upper level jazz class thinking about how important that day’s rehearsal was going to be. The time Yuuri had ever danced in front of the director was for his audition to get into the school. He hadn’t had to dance for the man since then. 

Yuuri spent the rest of the day thinking about the possible outcomes of the rehearsal. As he was walking to the usual rehearsal studio, he saw a group of people that danced with him walking away from the classroom.

“Where are you guys going?” Yuuri asked them. A girl with bright red hair and big blue eyes stopped and looked at him.

“The sign on the door said to go to the auditorium in the performing arts building.” She said. Yuuri hitched his gym bag higher on his shoulder and followed the group to the auditorium. When they arrived other students were sitting on the stage muttering in confusion. 

Yuuri took a seat next JJ as he usually did. Yuuri’s heart began to race. His fiddled with his fingers while trying to ground himself. He could not afford to panic in a situation like this. He knew that if he couldn’t keep his emotions under control he would cut without a second thought.

“Good afternoon.” Minako said as she walked onto the stage. 

“Good afternoon.” Everyone greeted back. The chatter that had filled the stage quieted down after the greetings. It seemed that everyone was aware that something was going on. It was odd to be out of the practice studio and in the auditorium. 

“If you all remember, I said that there would be a special guest coming to today’s rehearsal.” The class nodded their heads. “Well, we’re going to have several special guests today. Watching today’s rehearsal will be the director of the dance department and a group of talented students from the arts high school that is tied to the college.” 

Murmuring began to fill the stage after Minako’s announcement. Not only would they be dancing for the director, but they would also be dancing in front of future students. 

“Quiet.” A booming voice called from the front of the stage. The noise stopped almost immediately. A stern man with a weathered face stood next to Minako. He rested both of his hands on a black cane that was in front of him. “You will be dancing in groups. After your group dances, we will pick who is staying in the ensemble and who is not. So give your best performances.” The man said to them. 

Minako stepped forward and smiled at the dancers. She could feel the nerves coming off of them. She knew that a large number of these talented dancers would be cut because of petty reasons. She hated that she couldn't keep everyone. She also hated the director. He was so concerned about money that he couldn't see how hard all of the dancers worked. 

“All of you head backstage and we’ll call you up in groups.” She told them. Everyone stood up and headed to the backstage area. Yuuri quickly found a corner to practice in. He slipped into his dance shoes and took a deep breath. It was do or die. 

Yuuri stretched out his muscles and tried to block everything else out. After stretching, Yuuri stood up and ran through the dance in his head while performing the dance halfway. Yuuri watched as dancers were called onto the stage. He also saw dancers come off of the stage with big smiles and dancers scrambling off of the stage with tears streaming down their faces.

Yuuri saw dancers that worked so hard for their spot have it yanked from them. The longer Yuuri watched the more nervous he became. He didn't want to be one of the people coming off of the stage in tears. The chance to dance in front of donors to the school and other guests would help him further his career. 

“Next on stage is Jean Leroy...Amanda Cortez...Yuuri Katsuki...and...Marla Nguyen.” shouted a helper from the side of the stage. Yuuri took a deep breath before stepping forward and following the other dancers onto the stage. JJ shot him a thumbs up as they made their way onto the stage.

Yuuri took his spot on stage and got into the starting position. He closed his eyes briefly and took another deep breath. A bead of sweat trailed slow down his face from the heat of the stage lights. 

The opening of the orchestral piece they were dancing to began. Yuuri opened his eyes and began moving to the music. He was certain that he knew the first part of the dance well, but things got a bit more difficult for him when it came to the newer parts of the dance.

Yuuri felt like he was dancing through mud. His movements felt sluggish and his limbs felt heavy. Hopefully, it was all in his head. He also had to remember what role he was playing in the dance and what theme of the dance was. 

After what seemed like the longest minute and a half of his life, the music stopped. Yuuri and the other dancers stepped to the front of the stage and waited for their fates. The director and Minako were sitting in the middle of the auditorium. Yuuri could also make out people sitting closer to the stage. 

“You weren’t the worst group I’ve seen today,” The director said as he walked down the aisle. He climbed the steps that led to the stage and stood in front of the dancers. He stepped in front of JJ and narrowed his eyes. “You dance with arrogance and your pirouettes are a bit sloppy.”

JJ stood his ground and nodded at the director's critique.

“Both your parents are dancers, correct?” The director asked JJ. 

“Yes. They both attended the dance program here, sir.” JJ answered. The director just nodded his head at JJ before moving to the next person. 

“Your dancing had no personality or life to it. We do not need dancer that don’t feel what they dancing. You are dismissed.” the director said to Amanda. The girl quickly walked off of the stage. 

Yuuri’s heart began to pick up speed. The director would be speaking to him next.

Before the director spoke to Yuuri, he took a step back and lifted his cane. He poked Yuuri in the stomach with the cane. Yuuri subconsciously curled in on himself and turned away from the cane.

“No one is going to hire an overweight dancer. You are able to feel the music, but I won’t have someone who does not care about their appearance making the other dancers look bad. So you are dismissed and I urge you to lose weight if you want to gain a spot in any of the department’s other performances.” And with that scathing report the director shooed Yuuri away with his hand and moved on to the next dancer. 

Yuuri walked off of the stage with the few traces of dignity he had left. He walked over to his gym bag and took his dance shoes off. He carefully placed them into the bag before hiking it up onto his shoulder. He left the auditorium and headed back to his dorm. 

Yuuri had never felt so humiliated in his life. What kind of person called someone out about their weight in front of other people? It made Yuuri furious that the only reason he wasn’t still in the ensemble was because the director believed he was fat. That man did not understand how hard he worked to maintain the weight he was at. Yuuri knew that he didn’t have the “ideal” body for a dancer, but that was something he worked on tirelessly. 

When Yuuri opened the door to his room Phichit was sitting on his bed watching TV. Yuuri gave his friend a small smile before walking into the bathroom. He turned the shower on and stripped out of his clothes. He didn’t even care that he didn’t grab a change of clothes. 

Yuuri stepped under the cascade of water and let his drench him from head to toe. He could feel his emotions getting the better of him. The tears started to fall from his face and mingled with the water coming from the showerhead. A sob bubbled up in his throat and he quickly muffled it with his hand. 

Would he ever be good enough? Obviously in the eyes of the director he wouldn’t. It felt like no matter how hard he tried his best still wouldn’t be good enough. He should just give up. There was no way he would ever be a professional dancer. His best bet would be to graduate and find a job teaching dance. He would never be on the stage, but he would be training people who would be center stage. 

All of his hard work was for nothing because he didn’t look the part. The blisters, the aching muscles, and the things he gave up to pursue dancing were all in vain. 

Clearly, hard work and drive are all bullshit when you don’t look the part.


	3. Yuuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri deals with being cut from the dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that this story has made it past 1000 hits. I want to give a big thank you to everyone that has read this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Yuuri spent the rest of the night in his bed. He pulled his covers over his head and popped his headphones into his ears. He just wanted to shut the world out for a while. 

 

Yuuri could feel Phichit’s eyes on him, but he didn't feel like talking to his friend. 

 

“Yuuri.” Phichit called out to his friend. Yuuri burrowed deeper under his covers. 

 

“I don't want to talk right now” Yuuri snapped at his friend.

“Do you want me to bring you something back from the cafeteria?” Phichit asked. Yuuri peaked his out from the covers and looked at his alarm clock. It was dinner time which meant all of his friends would be waiting to hear if he'd made it through. He wouldn't have been able to sit through dinner while they all congratulated JJ. He didn't want to see their pitying looks or hear their empty encouragement. 

 

“I'm not hungry.” Yuuri mumbled before throwing the covers over his head again. Phichit just sighed before leaving the room. Yuuri pulled out his phone and looked at the missed call he’d gotten from his sister, Mari, earlier in the day. 

 

She ended up leaving him a message due to the time difference and Yuuri was finally getting around to listening to it. 

 

“Hey Yuuri. Mom wanted to know if you would be able to come home during winter break. She also wanted to know if you were eating well. I don't know why she won't just call you herself. Call me back when you get the chance.” The robotic operator began to speak signaling the end of the message. Yuuri pulled his phone away from his face and looked at the time. His family would be busy working at the inn if he called them at that moment.

 

He would call home before he went to bed. Yuuri rolled over and put his phone onto his bedside table before rolling back over and facing the wall. In the quiet of his dorm Yuuri thought of what he was going to do for the rest of the semester. Since he was no longer a part of the dance, he would just be going to his regular classes. 

 

Yuuri knew for a fact that his friends would make it through their cuts. They were all the “ideal”. It didn’t matter if he was passionate about dancing or if he was talented when it came to people having a particular vision of what they wanted. 

 

The director’s words had upset him and they also infuriated him. Who was that potbellied man to tell him that he was not the ideal weight for the dance ensemble? Yuuri clenched his hands into fists. He would allow himself to wallow and feel sorry for himself for a few days, but after that he would be back to practicing and making sure that he grew as a dancer. 

 

The director’s words would only fuel him into becoming stronger. However, at that moment, Yuuri didn’t feel very confident about the plan he’d made in his head. Yuuri sat up in his bed and looked up at one of his many posters of Viktor. Viktor wouldn’t be wallowing in self-pity after one bad critique. It wasn’t like the director said he was a horrible dancer. With this in mind Yuuri dragged himself out of his bed and decided to go meet his friends in the cafeteria. While Yuuri walked to the cafeteria his friends were in the cafeteria thinking of ways to cheer up their friend.

 

“The director is such an asshole.” JJ snapped as he shoveled spaghetti into his mouth. Phichit had just put his tray of food down onto the table. He didn’t know the story of why Yuuri was so upset. 

 

“Why didn’t Yuuri make it?” Phichit asked as he sat down next to Seung-Gil. JJ noisily put his fork down onto his tray before speaking. 

 

“Because the director is an asshole.” JJ snapped loudly. He prepared himself to go off on a tangent when a hand slammed down onto the table next to his arm. Everyone at the table quieted down in surprise and turned to look at the cause of the noise. 

 

JJ turned his head and looked into glaring brown eyes. Michele Crispino stood in his brown skinned Italian glory and pointed his finger at JJ.

 

“Could you please refrain from shouting your disdain for the director? Some of us respect the man and do not appreciate other’s talking rudely about him.” Michele huffed. “You should know better Jean-Jacques. I mean the director was also here when your parents came to school here.” 

 

“That doesn’t mean I can’t call the man out when he does things that are disrespectful towards other students. Just because he is the director doesn’t give him the right to belittle dancers,” JJ snapped in defense of himself. 

 

“That big mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day.” Michele said before walking away from the table. JJ glared at his back as he left. When he turned back to face his friends he saw Yuuri walking into the cafeteria.

 

JJ waved him over and went back to eating. 

 

“You just missed JJ and Michele get into an argument.” Phichit laughed as Yuuri sat down next to him. Yuuri just shook his head at his friend’s antics.

 

“Why do you insist on picking fights with Michele?” Yuuri asked JJ. JJ just shrugged his shoulders.

 

“May he hates you because you tried to hook up with his sister.” Seung-Gil deadpanned. Everyone at the table except for JJ laughed. During their first year, JJ ended up making the grave mistake of asking out Sara Crispino. Almost immediately after he asked her out, and got rejected, her brother, Michele, cornered JJ and gave him a harsh warning. It seems that Michele holds a grudge against anyone that asks out his sister because JJ has been at the top of his shitlist ever since.   
“What were you guys arguing about?” Yuuri asked. 

 

“JJ was ranting about how he disliked the director after what happened at you guys’ rehearsal today and Michele overheard and yelled at him for disrespecting the director.” Phichit informed his friend. 

 

Yuuri was surprised that they hadn't found out about why he was cut. Everyone knew that JJ had a big mouth, so Yuuri was surprised he hadn't told them the minute he saw them. 

 

“I think I deserve the right to be upset on behalf of my friend.” JJ mumbled. 

 

“So what happened at rehearsal?” Phichit asked turning to Yuuri. Yuuri looked down at the table and began fiddling with his fingers. 

 

“I got cut.” Yuuri mumbled. 

 

“What? Why?” Phichit gasped. “You practiced so hard.” 

 

“I guess the director just didn't like my performance.” Yuuri said with a shrug. Yuuri couldn't bring himself to tell his friends the real reason he was cut. Yuuri could feel all of his friends staring at him. 

 

“From the way JJ’s been ranting about it I don't think you got cut just because the director didn't like your performance.” Phichit said as he stared Yuuri down. Yuuri knew that Phichit could read him like a book, but it wasn't like he had the best poker face. 

 

Yuuri knew that he would have to tell the real reason he got cut. Phichit wouldn't let him just get away with that white lie especially if it was covering up something that affected him emotionally. 

 

Yuuri sighed loudly and continued to look down at his hands. 

 

“I got cut because the director felt that my body wasn’t ideal.” Yuuri mumbled. He could all of the shame from being told he was fat in front of his classmates and random high school students wash over him. It was like he was reliving the moment by just telling his friends those simple words. 

 

“He called you fat in front of everyone?” Phichit gasped. “Now I know why JJ was so upset. The director is a giant asshole.” Phichit seemed more offended by the comment than Yuuri did. 

 

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Yuuri said with a shrug. He turned his attention back to his friends. “I’ve always known that I’m not really shaped like all of the other male dancers. I’m average height. I have average looks and I gain weight quickly.” These things weren’t new to Yuuri. He’d been all these things his entire life.

 

“I think you are very cute. I just want to squeeze you.” Phichit said and acted out squeezing Yuuri. Yuuri blushed in embarrassment at his friend’s antics. Yuuri could see JJ nod his head in agreement. 

 

“You’re adorable, Yuuri.” JJ said. Seung-Gil had tuned the conversation out at that point and was eating his dinner. Yuuri looked at the three boys that sat near him and sighed. 

 

“When I’m compared to you guys I look like a potato,” Yuuri said half-jokingly. “I mean Phichit is the Thai Disney prince that has yet to exist. JJ is the tall, tan Canadian with the killer smile. And Seung-Gil is viewed as the brooding, mysterious Korean guy. And I’m Yuuri the average, potato that is friends with them.” 

 

“You’re not a potato Yuuri. And even if you were a potato, you would be the best damn potato there ever was. No potato would ever be as good as you.” JJ rambled. JJ had a tendency to dig himself into compliment holes, which meant he tried to give a compliment that wasn’t really a compliment so he had to explain why it was a compliment. It was usually funny to watch until it was directed at you. 

 

“Well back to what the director said to you,” Phichit said trying to get their conversation back on track. “I’m not going to go to rehearsal tomorrow in protest.”

 

“What exactly are you protesting?” Seung-Gil asked Phichit. No one knew he was still following their conversation. He usually tuned out if the conversation strayed into non-dancing territory for too long. Phichit huffed.

 

“I’m protesting the director’s lack of tact and his body shaming.” Phichit said. 

 

“What is that going to accomplish?” Yuuri asked. “If you don’t show up someone else will get the part and the director won’t know that you didn’t show up because you were protesting against him. It’s not an effective protest if no one knows you’re protesting.” Phichit had a heart of gold, but sometimes he didn’t think his plans through all the way. Like the time he thought it would be a good idea to prank Leo, a first year student. Let’s just say that Phichit somehow got JJ involved, which isn’t too hard, and Yuuri ended up having to pick them up from the sheriff’s office while they were dressed in drag. 

 

“But I want to stand up for you.” Phichit groaned. 

 

“I understand that, but this isn’t about you. It’s something I have to deal with. No matter how much you protest or rave about the director being a dick. It's not going to change his decision.” Yuuri said with a shrug. He was extremely grateful that he had friends that were willing to stand with him in solidarity, but he didn’t want them throwing away their dreams for him. “So you are going to go to your rehearsal tomorrow and you are going to dance your butt off. I don’t care how much you hate the director. Do it for me. The same goes for you JJ.” Yuuri said with a small smile. 

 

He knew that both JJ and Phichit wanted to make other comments, but he quickly changed the subject. 

 

“Did you guys see the new video that Chris uploaded?” he asked as he stole a handful of grapes from Phichit’s plate. 

 

“You mean did I watch a grown man bring himself to arousal just by dancing? Yes I did watch his new video and I commented that he needs to find his chill.” JJ said. “I don’t who would find him attractive.” 

 

Phichit, Yuuri, Seung-Gil all turned and stared at JJ. 

 

“I can think I can recall you telling us how you used to have a huge crush on Chris.” Phichit, the king of blackmail, said with a smirk. JJ looked down at his food and grumbled.

 

“That was in high school. I no longer feel that way because I met him once and he totally ignored me in order to flirt with my dance teacher.” JJ said with a huff. “But that doesn't matter anymore because I've set my sights on bigger and better things.” 

 

“Aren't you always on to bigger and better things when a relationship doesn't go your way?” Seung-Gil deadpanned. JJ gaped at Seung-Gil in disbelief. 

 

“When have I ever said that about a relationship?” JJ asked Phichit and Yuuri. Yuuri just shrugged his shoulders and let Phichit answer the question.

 

“Remember that Brazilian sculptor you dated for like two weeks? You ended the relationship after she told you that you cared about yourself too much. After that you told us you were on to bigger and better things.” Phichit recalled with a smile. He was like an endless store of information that could be used to blackmail his friends and acquaintances. 

 

“Okay that was one time.” JJ scoffed. 

 

“There was also that French cellist. And that one bartender from.” Yuuri listed off. 

 

“Oh yeah I remember the bartender. I really liked that club too. Now we can't go back because you can't sit still and stay in a relationship long enough to guarantee us free drinks.” Phichit huffed. “You and your ego are the reason why we can't have nice things.” 

 

“Well if that's how you feel don't come find me when your pants need to be hemmed.” JJ said dramatically. Yuuri rolled his eyes at Phichit and JJ’s antics. 

 

The longer he spent in the presence of his friends, the better Yuuri started to feel. He was glad that he decided to meet up with them. Otherwise he would have been sitting in his dorm room slowly spiraling into a hole of self-pity and loathing. 

 

He would worry about what happened at rehearsal tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean-Jacques Leroy is my son and I will protect him. Now that we've finally met Seung-Gil, Michele, JJ and Emil I finally know how to characterize them.
> 
> Please comment, leave a kudos and bookmark it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I started my second semester of my junior year in college. And I started a new fic and that had my focus. So I'm sorry. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Yuuri was sitting in his room a few days after being cut from the dance ensemble and trying to write a paper about some famous sculptor for his Art History class. His teacher wanted them to write and five-page about randomly assigned technique but Yuuri found that he couldn't concentrate. 

He'd found out from Phichit the night before that his ensemble group had a special guest showing up for their practice. Yuuri knew that Phichit would make it through. Phichit possessed things that he didn't.

Phichit thrived off of the attention the audience gave him, while Yuuri tried to ignore the audience. Yuuri liked to think that he didn't dance for the audience, but that he danced for himself. But he knew deep inside that he craved the approval of the audience and his superiors. 

As Yuuri was finishing up his paper the dorm to his dorm room opened. Yuuri looked up at the sound of the door opening and looked at Phichit expectantly.

“So how’d it go?” Yuuri asked. Phichit dropped his bag onto his bed before collapsing next to it. Yuuri stood up from his bed and walked over to Phichit's bed. “Do you wanna watch  _ The King and the Skater? _ We can order food from that burger shack do the street.” Yuuri suggested in order to coax Phichit to talk to him.

Phichit lifted his head up and turned his teary brown eyes towards Yuuri. 

“Could we get milkshakes too?” Phichit asked. Yuuri gave him a small smile before standing up. Yuuri picked up his phone and put in his usual order. Once he placed the order, Yuuri grabbed his laptop and plopped onto Phichit’s bed. 

“So how did rehearsal go?” Yuuri asked tentatively. Phichit groaned before shoving a pillow over his face.

“Everything went great until the director told me that I would have been perfect for the performance if I was taller. He cut me because he thought I was too short. What kind of bullshit reason is that?” Phichit shouted into the pillow. Yuuri understood where his friend was coming from. It was frustrating to be cut from a performance for shallow reasons. “I don’t understand how he can get away with what he does.”

Yuuri wondered the same thing. No one ever called the director out on the decisions he made. But Yuuri couldn’t complain too much because he also didn’t speak up against the director’s flawed reasoning for cutting him. 

“Because he’s an old privileged man that has power and money. As long as he’s keeping the affluent alumni and donors happy and they keep coming back with open checkbooks the school isn’t going to fire him.” Yuuri sighed. Phichit groaned in irritation.

“I tried so hard to get picked to be in the ensemble. Then the rug is pulled from under my feet because of something I can’t change.” Yuuri did not like seeing his usually upbeat friend look so upset. It wasn't something he was used to seeing. Phichit was like a bright light everywhere he went. He could be thrown into a room with strangers and a few hours later he'd be friends with all of them. 

His upbeat attitude and smiles were there whenever Yuuri needed them. So in return Yuuri knew that he had to bring the light back to Phichit. 

Yuuri looked at the time on his phone and slid off of Phichit's bed.

“I'm going pick up our food. When I come back we can catch up on that reality show you like.” Yuuri said as he slid his feet into a pair of shoes. He grabbed his wallet, keys, and his phone before walking out of the room. 

As Yuuri walked down the street to the burger place, he saw a black limo speed down the street and turn into the parking lot of the dance center on campus. Who rode around in a limo nowadays? 

When Yuuri walked into the burger shack he greeted the owner, who knew their small group by their names. 

“Hey, Yuuri where's the rest of the gang?” Phil the owner asked him with a jovial smile. 

“I just ordered a small pick me up for Phichit and I.” Yuuri answered as he grabbed the bag filled with their food. “How much do I need to pay?” Yuuri asked as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

“Since the milkshakes are on the house this time the total is 10.54.” Yuuri gave Phil eleven dollars and grabbed the food and the milkshakes before heading to the door. 

“See you later, Yuuri.” Phil shouted as Yuuri pushed the door of the shop open. Yuuri nodded his head before walking onto the sidewalk. While he walked back to the dorm, Yuuri hummed the opening melody of the ensemble dance. He also ran through the steps in his head since that was the only way he could perform the dance. 

He'd almost made it to his dorm when he felt someone tapped him on the shoulder. Yuuri jumped in surprise as he clutched the milkshakes to his chest. Yuuri whipped his head around and looked at who touched his shoulder. 

All of the air in his body left it while all of the blood drained through his feet. He had to be dreaming. The man that touched his shoulder removed his sunglasses from his face and looked directly at Yuuri. 

“Hi, it's been awhile since I've been on campus. And it looks like they've finally given the dance program it's own building, but I don't know where that is. Could you help me?” The man asked. Yuuri could barely breathe let alone give Viktor Nikiforov directions to the dance building. 

“Uh...i...it's next t...to the memorial library. They f...finished building it a little bit after you graduated,” Yuuri stuttered. After rambling, he thought about what he said. “Uh...I...I don't know when you graduated. T...that would be weird. I just assumed because you s...said you hadn't been here in a...awhile. I'm just going to stop talking. I have to get these milkshakes to my friend.” Yuuri said before turning around and speed-walking to his door.

“Thanks for the directions.” Viktor shouted at Yuuri's quickly retreating back. Yuuri raced up to his room. He needed to tell Phichit what happened. 

He threw the door of their room open and quickly placed the food down on his desk. 

“What's wrong?” Phichit asked in concern. Yuuri sat on the edge of his bed trying to catch his breath. 

“I ran into Viktor Nikiforov.” Yuuri said breathlessly. 

“You're lying,” Phichit said in disbelief. “Why would he be here?” 

“I don't know, but he stopped me on my way back to the room. He asked me for directions to the dance building since they didn't have one when he was a student. I would not make this up.” Yuuri said as he ran a hand over his face. He still couldn't believe that he'd talked to Viktor in the flesh. 

Yuuri could hear Phichit rustling around on his bed. 

“Viktor just posted a picture on Instagram. It says so glad to be back at the place that molded me into the dancer I am today,” Phichit showed Yuuri the picture of Viktor standing in front of the dance building with his arms stretched out wide. “I can't believe you got to meet Viktor Nikiforov.” Phichit squealed. It seemed that his spirits had been lifted. 

“I talked to him for like a couple seconds and most of it was me stuttering like a fool. I can't believe I embarrassed myself like that.” Yuuri said as he shoved his face into his pillow. Phichit watched as his friend freaked out about meeting his idol. The scene of Yuuri short circuiting helped lift his mood. 

“You’re gonna pull something if you keep freaking out like this.” Phichit said as he took a sip of his cookies n’ cream milkshake. Yuuri sat up and took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm his racing heart. 

“I'm probably not going to see him again. I mean he's probably here to see the people that will be performing at the donor gala.” Yuuri said to himself in order to calm his overloaded brain. 

Phichit let the subject drop before loading up a movie on his computer. He and Yuuri spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating junk food. Neither of them thought about being cut from the dance or about Yuuri's run in with Viktor. 

________________________

Yuuri woke up with a start at the sound of ceaseless beeping. He looked around the room quickly before groping his bedside table for his phone. When his hands finally grasped the device he brought close to his face. He squinted at the screen and shouted when he saw the time. 

He looked at the bed across from his and saw that it was empty. Yuuri frantically got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth and combed his messy hair. 

“Why didn't Phichit wake me up?” Yuuri grumbled to himself. Yuuri walked back into the room and sighed when he checked the time again. He'd slept through his literature class. He needed to rush across campus to his dance class with Minako. 

Yuuri threw on a t-shirt before slipping into a pair of leggings. He grabbed his dance bag and shoved his phone inside before he left his room. 

He didn't have time to wait for the elevator so he opted for the stairs. Once outside Yuuri started running to the dance building. He would be a couple of minutes late to class, which rarely happened.

“I hope Minako lets this slide.” Yuuri breathed as he avoided running into a guy on a bike. Yuuri sighed in relief when the dance building came into his view.  He ran into the building and stopped. Yuuri took a deep breath as he made his way to Minako’s dance room. When he made it to the room, Yuuri could hear his classmates talking. 

Yuuri placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open slowly. The door creaked as it opened and everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to look at Yuuri as he walked into the room.

“Thanks for joining us.” Minako joked as Yuuri stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Yuuri smiled in embarrassment before walking over to the set of shelves at the back of the room. Yuuri slid his bag into one of the open slots before pulling his dance shoes out. 

He could hear Minako go back to talking to the class. As he changed his shoes, Yuuri could hear the door to the open again. Hopefully, it was some that showed up to class later than him. Yuuri quickly scampered over to a spot next to Phichit with his head down. He didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself.

Once seated, Yuuri finally looked up towards the front of the room and saw the director speaking with Minako. A hush had fallen over the room. Yuuri could see some of his classmates cowering in fear of the man. How could he have so much control over them? Minako turned to face the class after she finished speaking with the director.

“The director just informed me that we have a special guest.” Minako said with a tight smile. Yuuri could feel his heart start to beat quickly. He had a feeling he knew who was going to walk through the door. Yuuri just hoped he was wrong.

The door to the room opened again and Yuuri turned his head away. He could see Phichit’s eyes start to sparkle. After the door closed, the room erupted into excited whispers and squeals. He knew without looking who’d just walked through the door. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
